Having a thyroid condition is no picnic, but you're not alone with this health issue. According to the American Thyroid Association, more than 12 percent of the population may end up dealing with a thyroid condition at some point in their lives. And thyroid issues can be sneaky: Of the nearly 20 million Americans living with the disease, as many as 60 percent don't even realize they have it.

Taking synthetic thyroid hormone can make up the difference and make you feel more like yourself. But eating certain foods—and limiting your consumption of others—can also help your thyroid function at its best, explains Hong Lee, MD, a double board-certified internist and endocrinologist with AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale in Illinois. That could allow you to avoid having to take higher and higher doses of synthetic thyroid hormones, and eventually end up relying on them completely in order for your thyroid to function.
Initial strategies for thyroid hormone replacement included thyroid transplantation, but efficacious pharmacologic strategies soon won favor. Natural thyroid preparations containing T4 and T3, such as desiccated thyroid, thyroid extracts, or thyroglobulin, were the initial pharmacologic agents. Synthetic agents were synthesized later. Early clinical trials demonstrated the efficacy of synthetic and natural agents, but concerns arose regarding consistency of natural thyroid preparations and adverse effects associated with T3-containing preparations (natural or synthetic). With the demonstration of peripheral T4-to-T3 conversion and the availability of the serum TSH radioimmunoassay in the early 1970s, there was a major trend in prescribing preference toward l-thyroxine monotherapy. BMR = basal metabolic rate; DT = desiccated thyroid; IV = intravenous; RIA = radioim-munoassay; T3 = triiodothyronine; T4 = thyroxine; TG = thyroglobulin; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone.
Black Cohosh: Black cohosh also called Actaea racemosa or Cimicifuga racemosa is a perennial plant of the buttercup family and is a native of North America. It is sold as a dietary supplement in the market and is seen to be effective in treating hypothyroidism. As black cohosh aids in balancing the estrogen levels in the body, it is quite useful to treat thyroid problems in females.
An unhealthy gut environment can contribute to nutrient deficiencies and raise autoimmune activity in the body. Gut inflammation can be triggered by food sensitivities or allergies, including those to gluten and dairy. Other causes of a damaged gut are high stress levels, toxin overload from diet and the environment, and bacterial imbalances. When leaky gut occurs, small particles that are normally trapped inside the gut start to leak out into the bloodstream through tiny openings in the gut lining, which creates an autoimmune cascade and a series of negative symptoms.
Kale reigns supreme in the land of leafy green vegetables that we often eat raw, but beware if you have an iodine deficiency. “Kale gets a big baddy,” Blum says. “Eat it cooked.” When raw, this dark green leaf steals the iodine from the thyroid gland. If you must, it’s ok to nosh on the green veggie in your salad, but stop at two servings a day. No need to get extra credit on the superfood.
The thyroid uses iodine to convert T4 into freeT3. If you have hypothyroidism, you may not have an iodine deficiency per se, but your thyroid is almost certainly struggling in some way to get ahold of the iodine available to it and do what it needs to do with it. If the root cause is left unaddressed, simply increasing iodine is not always useful and at worst can be dangerous depending on how high you’re increasing your supplementation thinking if a little is good, then more will “solve” your problem.
Although I’m a fan of getting what you need from real food whenever possible, herbs, supplements, and vitamins can still have a place in the thyroid diet plan. It’s hard to give tips here as many people over-medicate and only feel worse later. Hopefully these tips will help; they apply to most auto-immune conditions (This advice was given by my naturopath who focuses on hormonal and thyroid health.):

As mentioned above, most thyroid conditions are auto-immune diseases. There are tons of lymphocytes and other immune cells in the gut, which protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other invaders. This is why most people with thyroid conditions also experience frequent bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea. A diet change will help your gut tremendously. “All disease begins in the gut“, said Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine. I’m not sure why this is not taught in schools today, but it’s an important part of the thyroid diet plan.

“A teaspoon of iodine is all a person requires in a lifetime, but because iodine cannot be stored for long periods by the body, tiny amounts are needed regularly. In areas of endemic iodine deficiency, where soil and therefore crops and grazing animals do not provide sufficient dietary iodine to the populace, food fortification and supplementation have proven highly successful and sustainable interventions.” [Brahmbhatt 2001].
Since iodine is found in soils and seawater, fish are another good source of this nutrient. In fact, researchers have long known that people who live in remote, mountainous regions with no access to the sea are at risk for goiters. "The most convincing evidence we have [for thyroid problems] is the absence of adequate nutrition," says Salvatore Caruana, MD, the director of the division of head and neck surgery in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at ColumbiaDoctors.
High Fiber Foods — People with hypothyroidism may have digestive difficulties, so aim for 30–40 grams of fiber daily. Not only does a high-fiber diet help with digestive health, it also improves heart health, balances blood sugar levels and supports a healthy weight by making you feel fuller. Some easy ways to increase fiber intake include eating more fresh vegetables, berries, beans, lentils and seeds.
Gluten intolerance is highly associated with inflammatory disorders of all kinds (63). It is also a contributing factor in many autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, autoimmune cardiomyopathy, lymphoma and dermatitis herpetiformis (skin disease) among others (64, 65). If you have a thyroid problem or just want to avoid having a future thyroid problem, the first place to start is on a gluten-free nutrition program!
Hypothyroidism is most commonly treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy, and the most effective way to treat hypothyroidism is with synthetic T4 medication. (7, 5) While these hormones are identical to the natural T4 that the thyroid makes, several factors can affect the exact dosage you need. These include your age, the severity of symptoms, and your overall health profile.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Unless you've been diagnosed with celiac disease, it probably won’t affect your thyroid. Gluten can damage the small intestines of people with celiac disease. They can have other autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s disease (which leads to an underactive thyroid) and Graves' disease (which leads to an overactive thyroid). If you have celiac disease, a gluten-free diet may help prevent these thyroid diseases.
This can lead to low T3 levels (58). In addition, elevated cortisol will cause thyroid hormone receptor insensitivity meaning that even if T3 levels are high enough, they may not be able to bind normally to receptor sites. And when this happens it doesn’t get into the cells. Cortisol will also increase the production of reverse T3 (rT3), which is inactive (11).
Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, are full of fiber and other nutrients, but they may interfere with the production of thyroid hormone if you have an iodine deficiency. So if you do, it’s a good idea to limit your intake of Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips, and bok choy, because research suggests digesting these vegetables may block the thyroid's ability to utilize iodine, which is essential for normal thyroid function.

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Please Note: The material on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.